Scaffolding support



July 30, 1935. c. w. SKINNER SCAFFOLDING SUPPORT File Nov. 21, 1933 Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SCAFFOLDI NG SUPPORT Charles W. Skinner, Brockton, Mass. I Application November 21, 1933, Serial No. 698,981

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for supporting scaffolds such, for example, as those used by painters in painting buildings. Heretofore it has been the usual practice to hang such scaffolds from ropes or cables having hooks at their upper ends placed in the gutters at the eaves of the building. This is an unsafe practice, however, particularly in the case of older buildings, due to insecure fixing of the gutters in position, particularly after decay has set in, and there have been many serious accidents because of this practice. 1

Another method now commonly used employs boards, each provided with a hook at its upper end for engaging over the ridge'pole of the roof and extending downwardly along the roof, these boards having cleats transversely arranged thereon and forming abutments against which the ends of the hooks supported in the gutter in the method previously described may engage. These boards are inconvenient to handle and store, particularly when long, as they must be in-many instances.

This invention has for objects the production of a scaffold support by which the scafioldmay be carried with perfect safety, since it engages substantial parts of the building even when the building is old,- which does not mar or damage the building, and which may be packed readily in small space for transportation and storage.

For a morecomplete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cable clamp forming part of the invention.

Figure 2 is a detail section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating methods of securing the scaffold support to buildings. Y

Figure 6 is a perspective showing one of the supports packed for storage or shipment.

As shown in the drawing, the scaffold support comprises a cable I having at one end a hook 2 and having spaced from said hook at an adjustable distance a cable clamp 3.- As shownbest'in Figures 1 and 2, this cable clamp may comprise side portions 4, having secured therebetween along one side a spacing block 5 having a rounded surface portion 6 with which the cable may engage. As shown, this spacing block is secured to the side plates 4 by means of the screws 1. operating with the block to clamp the cable is a clamping arm comprising a U-shaped member 8 and a clamp element 9 secured together as by bolts IUa-nd II. The bolt I0 passes through the side 'walls 4 within which it is journaled and the bolt I I acts-tohold the clamp piece 9 and the member 8 against relative turning about the axis ofthe bolt I0. The clamping piece 9 is located 5 between the side walls 4 and has an eccentrically rounded inner end I2 forming a clamping jaw, which, in the position shown in Figure l, engages the cable I and forces it against the block 5 so that the cable may be securely gripped by the 10 clamp. The outer end portion I4 of the member 8 forms-a support to receive thereover the hook I5 of a pulley block I6 whichforms part of the scaffold to be supported. 7 d V This scaiiold, as shown, comprises a platform.

Il supported in a sling I8 at'each end, which car 'ries the lower pulley block I9 from which cables pass to the block I 6 in the usual manner, so that the heightof the scaffold may be adjusted by adjusting the spacing between the blocks I6 20 and IS in the well known manner. The weight of the scaffold being supported from the clamp arm member 8, produces a grip on the cable I which thus prevents the clamp from slipping along the cable. V

In Figure 3 is shown diagrammatically an ar: rangement of the scaffold support on a house having a hip roof, two supporting cables being employed and passing from the clamps IIi on that side of the house where. the scaffold is toibe positioned entirely over the roof of the house and with the hooks 2 engaged about the edge of the roof overhang 25 on the opposite side of the house from the scaffold. In Figure 5 an arrangement is shown .for a house having a gable roof, the hooks 2 being engaged aboutthe overhang of the roof at the caves of the house at one side, the cables I passing over the roof and down the opposite side, and the clamps on which thestagingis suspended be- 40 ing on the opposite side of the building from the hooks2.

In Figure 4 is illustrated the manner of sup porting such a. staging at one end of the root gable rather than on' one side, as shown in Fig ure 5. In thiscase the two cables I extend from the clamps 3 upwardly overthe adjacent end of the gable, back alongopposite sides of the roof, and the hooks 2 are engaged over the opposite end 21 of the gable. Where the cable passes over edges of the building, it may be provided with short protecting sections which may be of rubber hose or the like, as shown at 30, so as to protect the building edges fromabrasion; It .will thus be seen that this arrangement of the supporting ll cables provides a secure support for the scaffold which does not in any way damage the building, but which since it consists largely of flexible members may be wound up in small space for transportation or storage.

Preferably the hooks 2 are double, each consisting, as best shown in Figure 6, of a forkshaped member 35 having its spaced forked portions 36 and 31 curved over toward the general plane of its shank portions to form a pair of substantially parallel hook extremities 34 and 38. The opposite end of this member where the two parts come together is shown as provided withan eye 39 in direct alinement with the shank of the hook and through which may be secured the end of the cable I. In order to facilitate shipping and storing of these supports, the portions" 36 and 31 of the hooks may be provided with, outwardly extended elements 40 cooperating with outwardly turned ends 4| of the portions 36 and 31 to definea space, and adjacent tothe opposite end of thehook one or both of the portions 36 and 31 maybe provided with a similar element 42 coacting with the end portion 35 to define another space thus to provide a pair of spaced portions about which the cable may be wound as shown in this figure. Thus each of thesupports may be packed'in a relatively small unit which can be easily carried about or stored as desired.

The hooks heretofore employed for hanging scaffolds have had their points in-turned toward their shanks and their shanks usually reversely curved in order that the end portions of these shanks, when the cables are attached, shall be directly beneath the points of engagement between .the hook ends and the parts engaged thereby and Iapproximately'in alinement with the hooks near their ends, thus to avoid as much as possible any tendency for the weight carried by the cables to displace the hooks from their supporting surfaces. The hooks of this invention are not so formed, however, since the shank portion of each is' substantially straight and preferably without any reverse curvature. The center of gravity of the hook lies so far to one side of the line of pull of the cable thereon, thehook portion, which forms the greater part of the weight of the hook, bei'ngsubstantially .wholly one side of that line, that the hook end drops down as the shank portion engages the roof sur face in position for the interiorof the hook curvature to engage with the roof overhang and with the shank of the hookv lying substantially flat against the'roof. Thus the hook automatically engages the roof portion as the hook is drawn up by pull'ingon the cable which has, previously been passed over the roof, it being only necessary to draw the hook up into position by pulling on the cable to insure proper engagement of the hook on the roof. Preferably also the end portions of the hook just inwardly of the portions 4 I. extend substantially no more toward the shank than in parallelism therewithvso that'the; curvature of the hook is not more thant180", and the extremeend portions of the hook are preferably turned outwardly so as to prevent the presentationof' sharp hook ends to the roof portion which might mar From the foregoing'description of an embodiment of this invention and certain ways in which the supportmay be used, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as definedby theappendedclaims,

I claim:

1. For use in connection with a building having projecting roof portions, a cable for extending over said roof, a hook on one end of said cable for engaging about said roof portion and having a shank provided with an eye in direct alinement with said shank to which said cable is attached, and means for attaching a scaffold to said cable, said hook having its hook portion arranged substantially wholly on one side of the line of pull of the cable thereon and forming the greater part of the weight of the hook, whereby as said cable is drawn up on said roof said hook is automatically positioned to properly engage said roof portion.

2. For use in connection with a building having projecting roof portions, a cable for extending over said roof, ahook on one end of said cable for engaging about said roof portion and having a shank provided with an eye in direct alinement with said shank to which said cable is attached, and means for attaching a scaffold to said cable, the center of gravity of said hook being arranged so far on one side of the line of pull of said cable thereon that as said cable is drawn up on said roof said hook is automatically positioned-to properly engage said roof portion.

3. For use in connection with a building havin a projecting roof portion, a pair of cables for extending over said roof in spaced relation, a hook on one end of each cable for engagement with said roof portion and having a shank provided with an eye in direct alinement therewith and to which said cable is attached, and means for attaching said cables in spaced relation to a scaffold, each of said hooks having its hook portion forming the greater portion of its weight and arranged substantially wholly on one sided the line of pull of its respective cable thereon whereby as each cable is drawn up on said roof its hooked end is automatically positioned to properly engage said roof portion.

4.- A device of the class described, comprising a hook, a cable secured to one end of said hook, and. elements extending from said hook in spaced relation toward Opposite ends thereof defining between them a length about which said cable may be wound.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a hook, a cable secured to one end of said hook, elements extending from said hook in spaced relation toward opposite ends thereof defining between them a. length about which said cable may be wound, and a cable clamp adjustable along said cable. I e I j 6. A device of the class described, comprising a fork having its spaced ends bent to form substantially parallel hooks, a cable secured to the opposite end of said fork, and elements defining with said fork spaced lengths thereon about which said cable may be wound. '7. For use in connection with a building having a projecting roof portion, a cable for extending over said roof, a hook having a pair of hook ends for engaging about said roof portion and a shank provided with an eye in direct alinement with said shank-:and to which said cable is attached, and means for attaching a scaffold to said cable, said hook having its hook portion arranged substantially wholly on one side of the line of pull of the cable thereon and forming the greater part of the weight of the hook, whereby as said cable is drawn up onsaid roof, said hook ends are automatically positioned to properly engage said roof portion spaced apart. 3

g a Y V CHARLESW. SKINNER. 

